eco-officiency blog » green

Better Paper Project by Green America: Helping the Magazine Industry to be More Sustainable

eco-officiency — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:00:14 +0000

The Better Paper Project was launched in April 2012 by Green America. This paper project empowers the magazine industry, including publishers, retailers and printers, to go green by using sustainable paper both recycled content and FSC certified. Green America will provide consulting and advice to its members to make the paper switch.

Once they have completed the program, they can use the logo of the Better Paper Project on the magazine itself or promotional materials.

Consider Using Natural Pesticides and Fertilizers

eco-officiency — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:00:54 +0000

In spring, there is a high volume of pesticides and fertilizers being used to keep lawns green and weed free. Before using your normal chemicals, consider using green or natural alternatives.

Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are known carcinogens and have also been linked to asthma, birth defects and neurological disorders. (for more citations on health, visit the Kids for Saving the Earth). These chemicals are also affecting our wildlife too. Particularly our bee population which chemical pesticides have been proven to be one of the primary reasons we have had such decline in our bee populations. (To learn more visit E-Magazine’s article on Pesticide Linked to Honey Bee Deaths)

Here are some resources for natural pesticide and fertilizer use;

OrganoLawn is a Colorado based lawn care service that only uses natural and organic pesticide and fertilizer products.
Natural Pesticide Recipes Provides a list of ingredients to make your own green pesticide products.
Plant Talk Colorado: A robust site on garden and lawn care by the Colorado State University. Click here for their page on natural pesticide product recommendations.
Clean Air Gardening: Provides a comprehensive list of all the environmentally friendly lawn care products including organic fertilizers and pest control products.

The Greenest Way to Dry Your Hands

eco-officiency — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:04 +0000

You washed your hands and now what? Do I blow dry, towel dry or air dry? What is the greenest option? Interestingly enough there have been studies done on this.

Dyson, the maker of air dryers actually commissioned a study by MIT called Life Cycle Assessment of Hand Drying Systems. The study claimed that Dyson’s own hand dryer produce70% less carbon emissions than the conventional hand dryers or paper towels (obviously 100% recycled paper was better than virgin paper). Greenbiz.com did a nice article review on the Life Cycle reports findings.

Overall, most studies find that hand dryers will be the greener choice in about 95 percent of circumstances. It is the option that is lowest in carbon emissions and waste. However probably the greenest option of all is to carry your own handkerchief and dry your own hands. This is a custom in Japan and some parts of Asia and has worked well. No worries on paper towel dispensers being empty or dealing with hand dryers that don’t seem to work anymore. You take your own drying into your own hands!

Green Holiday Parties

eco-officiency — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 05:00:36 +0000

With this season’s holiday parties, plan and hold ‘green’ events. You may not be able to do everything but even a few activities set the example. Here are a few ideas to help your holiday parties, whether at home or work, to be more environmentally conscious;

Be zero waste. Boulder’s eco-cycle has a zero waste kit that provides the recycling and composting containers, as well as pick up.
Use compostable disposables. Eco-Products have an entire line of compostable of bio-ware of forks, knives, spoons, cups and plates. Although, these items can be a little more expensive and not decorated, they are eco-friendly and set the right tone and image for companies trying to be more green.
Donate extra food. If you have extra food, don’t let it go to waste. Consider giving it to the following local Colorado food banks; Boulder Emergency Family Assistance Center, Denver Rescue Mission, or Food Bank of the Rockies .
Provide alternative transportation options. When possible provide alternative transportation options to the holiday gatherings. Arrange carpools, provide van transportation or hold your event near a public transit stop.
Use less meat at parties. Meat consumption has a high environmental impact. To learn more facts reference this blog entry called Meat Impacts on the Environment. Try some new holiday vegetarian recipes from Vegetarian Times.

For more holiday party ideas;

10 Green Holiday Party Do’s

Plan a Green Holiday Party

Ten Ways to Green Your Holidays

Which is greener—converting my Prius to all electric or buying a new electric vehicle?

eco-officiency — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:00:01 +0000

It actually is greener to convert your Prius or other hybrid you might own to increase the battery capacity and electric usage. Although the new electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, are well –made cars, it is actually more sustainable to convert the car you have rather than purchasing a new one. The other factor to consider is that Prius cars wear better than normal vehicles. So you might also consider purchasing a used Prius and getting it converted to all electric.

All electric Prius conversions are becoming more popular especially in Colorado with aggressive tax rebates. The State of Colorado is now offering an incentive to convert your Prius to plug-in through a refundable tax credit of 85% of the cost with a maximum credit of $6,000. This is only good through the end of 2011 and might be extended through 2012.

Recommended Prius Conversion Vendors in Colorado:

For Denver residents try Green Gears.

For Boulder residents try Boulder Hybrid Conversions.

Cloud Computer = Green Business Solution

eco-officiency — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:00:42 +0000

There has been a lot of press lately on cloud computing that is not only good for data management but also a great green solution for businesses. It offers tremendous energy savings and IT efficiencies. Here are some of the recent reports and articles available on cloud computing;

Green Biz recent article, 4 Reasons Why Cloud Computing is a Green Solution, cites that cloud computing services are expected to grow by 22% annually to 2020. It also discusses the four top reasons cloud computing is a green solution including energy efficiency, utilization and consolidation efficiencies, pay per use and multitenancy.

Accenture put out a great whitepaper called, Cloud Computing and Sustainability, in November 2010 that discusses in more depth how cloud computing reduces the environmental impacts of IT and also provides case study examples.

The Carbon Disclosure Project in collaboration with Verdantix also did a report called, Cloud Computing: The IT Solution for the 21^st Century. It cites that businesses with more than $1 billion in annual revenue can achieve in energy savings of $12.3 billion a year by 2020 through cloud computing services. In addition it projects an overall 30,000 metric tons savings in CO2 reduction.

Then Greenpeace report entitled How Dirty is Your Data, discusses the cloud’s energy footprint on these large cloud based service providers. It provides a table and report card on the primary cloud service providers and their use of clean energy vs. coal.

One of the primary hesitations of moving to the cloud is the security and privacy issue. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has a publication on the Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing. The U.S. General Services Administration is moving all their data to a cloud based provider and now offering these services to government agencies. Learn more from Information Week Government article, Cloud Computer is Safer Than You Think, on how they overcame these challenges.

Green Apps Recommendations

eco-officiency — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 05:00:37 +0000

There are some great green apps now available that can help consumers make conscious choices on products and services and improve their green footprint. All these apps are free:

Find Green: This app provides a directory of green retail establishments in your area. It uses the GPS system on Android phones and can direct you to the nearest green establishment from where you are located.

Good Guide: An app that the developers have been working on for years and is very well regarded. You can scan the barcode of a product with your smartphone and it will provide you a sustainability ranking of that company and product.

Fooducate: An app that provides more information on ingredients and labels of food products. It has a rating scale and does offer alternative products that might be better or healthier for you.

Animal Free: Is able to help consumers know which ingredients contain animal products. This is useful for those individuals who want to be completely animal free.

Ecorio: This app also uses the GPS system on your smartphone to track your carbon footprint as you travel. Then, it also provides a quick way to purchase carbon offsets through Google.

PedNav: This is an app that helps plan the best route and transportation option with the activities of your day. It encourages walking and biking instead of a vehicle and helps route the best way to travel.

For a more extensive listing of Green Apps, see Treehuggers list of over 100 green apps.

Sustainable Packaging Options

eco-officiency — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 05:00:21 +0000

Today, there are many more sustainable packaging options than there used to be. Now there are various eco-packaging products that can be as price competitive and durable as plastic and Styrofoam.

Here are a few companies to check out if you are looking for some green packaging options for your company:

Be Green Packaging, based in Santa Barbara, is the one Whole Foods switched to a year ago. The packaging is made from bio-materials and are compostable. Be Green also has Cradle to Cradle certification for their manufacturing processes.

BioCorp also provides biodegradeable bioware including plates, trays, bowls, cups, lunch boxes and compartment trays. They also have cutlery that is heat resistant.

Eco-Products, based in Boulder, Colorado also supplies foodservice compostable packaging.

EPI makes packaging products out of an oxo biodegradable plastic additive technology.

Green Packaging Group is a one stop shopping source for eco packaging. It showcases various vendors and resources for all types of packaging.

The Green Consumer Market

eco-officiency — Tue, 03 May 2011 05:00:37 +0000

Greenbiz had a great article after Earth Day 2011 about the green consumer market called the Polling of America 2011. Joel Makower, editor of GreenBiz, identifies some key consumer reports and studies about American’s attitude toward green products and services. Most of the reports do recognize that consumers are more aware of environmental consumerism than they have in the past. A poll by NBC universal found that 68% of consumers believe its worth paying more for a green product or service if it comes from a brand they trust. They also found that found that 62 percent of respondents are making a conscious effort to buy products made by environmentally responsible companies. Another study by BBMG called, Unleashed: How New Consumers Will Revolutionize Brands and Scale Sustainability said that even with the recession over 25% were willing to pay to pay more for sustainable alternatives. Consumers ‘voting’ with their dollars is a key aspect for new innovation and new green products and services from companies.

Consider CarShare Programs to Enchance Alternative Transportation Options

eco-officiency — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 05:00:13 +0000

Many offices are encouraging their employees to carpool or take public transportation to work. Public transportation or carpooling may work well to get to the office, but can be a hindrance when trying to get to outside meetings during the day. Consider joining a carshare that will alleviate the need to have a company car but support alternative transportation programs within your company. Most carshare programs have online or phone reservation systems. Cars are usually parked in convenient areas around urban areas.

Here are some recommended carshare programs;

eGo CarShare is a carshare service located in the greater Boulder/Denver area.
ZipCar is a national carshare program. They have locations in most major U.S. Cities and around University campuses.
CarSharing.net is a directory of other local carsharing companies across the U.S.
E-Ride Share is a network to find car share riders in the U.S., for short or long trips.
Ride Share connects car and vanpoolers in the U.S.. There are also tips on biking and public transit options.
Alternate Rides provides information on all alternative transportation options including car sharing, vanpooling, biking, and public transit. They also provide commuter maps and CO2 savings calculator using alternative transportation.